This invention relates to a fishing line release device. More particularly, this invention relates to a fishing line release device in which slack is automatically provided in the fishing line after the bait has been initially attacked by a fish.
After a fish has initially struck at the bait, it is desirable to have the bait remain motionless in the water. In this manner, the fish, thinking that it has stunned its prey, will circle back and fully attack the bait, whereupon the hook will become firmly embedded in its mouth. The problem of causing the bait to remain idle in the water is especially so when the line is taut and connected to a boat in motion.
Many prior art devices have sought to solve this problem by providing a slack in the line after the first strike by the fish, thereby rendering the bait virtually motionless in the water. Some of these devices have utilized complex spring mechanisms which provide the needed slack in the line when the bait is attacked. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,037,317 discloses an adjustable tension structure comprising a spring-loaded dial. Other prior art devices utilize a retainer arm releasably held by screw tension. However, these latter devices are basically spring-loaded devices and do not provide for calibrated adjustments. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,832 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,650. Still other prior art devices, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,051, disclose a sinker line release mechanism utilizing two plate-like structures connected by an adjustable nut and bolt assembly, each of the plate-like structures possessing a notch-like indentation, the indentations adapted, by their opposing tracks, to retain a sinker line. However, in these latter devices, there is no disclosure of utilizing a fishing line retainer arm between the two plate-like structures with adjustable stop members defining the tension required on the fishing line to activate the device. The present application provides yet another solution to the same problems.